EAST LANSING — Magic Johnson's tie was a shade of red, but it's clear he'll still be bleeding green during his ESPN debut as a college basketball analyst tonight.

Johnson joins Mike Tirico and Dick Vitale on the broadcast team as fourth-ranked Michigan State hosts No. 1 Indiana.

"I must remain professional," laughed Johnson, as he met with the media before the game at Breslin Center.

"Am I going to sit here and lie to you and say that I don't want Michigan State to win? I would be lying, and everybody else in here would know I'd be lying. I love Michigan State and it hurts me when they lose."

It's the the first time two teams ranked in the top five have ever squared off in East Lansing. The Hoosiers won the first meeting between the two teams, 75-70 in Bloomington on Jan. 27.

Johnson currently serves as an NBA studio analyst for ESPN. In the early 1990s, he teamed with Dick Enberg and Steve Jones to call games on NBC.

He's never called a college game, but said he isn't nervous.

"It's great to be a part of a game that represents the Big Ten Conference, a game of this magnitude," Johnson said. "It's going to be a crazy atmosphere.

"If you're going to call your first game, and probably my last, this is the one you want to be calling."